Obama to Host Central American Leaders for Migrant Talks

July 19 (Bloomberg) -- The leaders of three Central
American countries will meet with President Barack Obama next
week in Washington as part of U.S. efforts to stem a flood of
children coming across the Mexican border.

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will host Presidents
Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala, Juan Orlando Hernandez of
Honduras and Salvador Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador at the White
House on July 25.

Obama and Biden will discuss “how to reinforce our ongoing
collaboration to stem the flow of undocumented migrants from
Central America to Mexico and the United States,” the White
House said yesterday.

The meeting is the latest step by the administration to
combat the perception in Central America that children and
families who cross the border illegally can remain in the U.S.
if they are captured by law enforcement.

The number of unaccompanied minors who’ve tried to enter
the U.S. illegally so far this year has already doubled the
total in all of 2013. The influx has upended the debate over
changing immigration laws, as Republicans say Obama’s policies
are partly to blame for drawing the immigrants. Obama is seeking
$3.7 billion in emergency funding to temporarily shelter and
process the immigrants.

In his meetings, Obama plans to emphasize the need to
return the children to their families in their home countries,
according to a White House official who briefed reporters on
condition of anonymity.

‘Dangerous Journey’

Also among the topics will be how the countries “can work
together with other members of the international community to
foster development, economic growth and security in the region
and address the factors that are causing Central American
citizens to undertake the dangerous journey to the United
States,” the White House said.

The U.S. said yesterday that the number of young migrants
apprehended at the border had dropped over recent weeks, from
1,985 during the week of June 22 to 977 last week. While the
White House partially attributes the decline to the government’s
efforts, officials also said that numbers typically drop during
the summer because of the hot weather.

The Obama administration is seeking emergency border
spending to deal with the surge of young migrants from Central
America. Republicans have said that they will grant only enough
funding to handle the immediate needs, less than half the amount
sought by the president.